A snail-paced transportation and labour network, employed by Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP) to handle the 2.5 million tonnes of imported wheat, is likely to burden the national exchequer with millions of rupees in terms of ship wharfage and port demurrage at ports.
According to official sources in Karachi Port Trust (KPT) TCP was handling the long-awaited essential commodity in a highly non-professional, lethargic and unplanned manner.
As a result of a slow-paced discharging of the cargo, they said, three and five vessels, carrying thousands of tonnes of wheat, were standing at the outer anchorage of Karachi Port and Port Qasim respectively. "An unscheduled arrival of TCP ships and a lethargic discharging of the cargo have caused congestion at the ports," said a KPT official.
He said KPT had dedicated two berths, Number 1 and 5 at East Wharf, for the ships belonging to TCP, which had agreed to ensure discharging of at least 10,000 metric tonnes of cargo daily. "Instead of the agreed 10,000 tonnes they (TCP) are hardly able to unload 3,000 tonnes of wheat per day. They take 8 to 10 days in unloading a ship which is normally handled within 2 to 3 days," claimed the official.
Another KPT official accused the Corporation of not using latest equipment, like cranes etc, to ensure a speedy handling of the wheat which, he said, was the most-wanted and awaited essential commodity in the wake of prevailing wheat shortage in the country.
"Due to insufficient number of trucks, to transport the most-awaited commodity to its destination, over 30,000 tonnes of wheat is lying at port inviting an additional burden on the exchequer in terms of port demurrage," he added.
He said TCP's non-serious attitude towards serving real purpose of the wheat import was evident from the fact that it did celebrate Saturday, fourth working day of the Eid, as a holiday.
"KPT has always given priority to the clearance of cargo belonging to TCP and that's why has dedicated two berths for its consignments," said the official. However, according to stevedoring sources Eid holidays was the main reason for handling of cargo at a slow pace. They said labourers were on off to celebrate the annual religious festival with their relatives in and outside Karachi.
"Truckers and labourers were away from work during Eid days which slowed the pace of cargo handling at ports," said the sources.
They, however, contradicted the KPT official's claim that daily rate of cargo handling was 3,000 tonnes, saying that around 7,000 to 8,000 tonnes of wheat was being discharged at Karachi Port during the two working shifts, day and night. The sources said that the stevedores had unloaded at least four vessels, each carrying 42,000 tonnes of wheat, so far.
An official statement of KPT on Wednesday, however, said the TCP "vessels have so far discharged approximately 5,000 to 6,000 tonnes wheat per day, which is much lower than the minimum acceptable discharge rate." It said in pursuance to government's decision to import 2.5 million tonnes of wheat, it was agreed that KPT would provide two berths to handle vessels carrying wheat consignments and that the discharge rate of these vessels would be 10,000 metric tonnes per day.
It is pertinent to mention that KPT is also facilitating TCP by providing sufficient space for wheat storage but the pace of clearance is very slow as transport has not been arranged for its clearance, said the statement.
At present approximately 32,836 metric tonnes wheat discharged from vessels is still lying at Karachi Port, it said adding besides, KPT has also provided extra berth to TCP for its urea consignment 11,843 metric tonnes of which is again lying at port and waiting for clearance.
KPT, the statement said, remains committed to facilitate expeditious trade activity in the port and has always attached priority to the national requirement of wheat hoping that the essential commodity be taken to its eventual destination rather than being kept in the port area.
A TCP official statement, however, clarified that out of 45 vessels carrying 2.5 million tonnes of wheat 33 had arrived, out of which 19 had completed the discharging, four were under discharging and 10 were standing at the outer anchorage. It said TCP had, so far, dispatched 770,703.064 tonnes of wheat to various departments of the four provincial governments of the country.
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